BUSINESS CONFIDENCE

BUSINESS CONFIDENCE Salesmen around the world continue to grow more optimistic. According to Dun & Bradstreet's latest survey, the number of businessmen who expect sales to rise in the second quarter of 1997 exceeds the number who expect them to fall in 12 out of 13 countries. The only exception is Switzerland, where opinion is evenly divided. Worldwide, optimists now outnumber pessimists by 51%, up sharply from the first quarter. Salesmen in America and New Zealand are the cheeriest about their prospects: those who expect to sell more this quarter outnumber those who do not by 63% in each country. Salesmen also foresee big commissions in Italy, Britain and Hong Kong. Taiwanese businessmen have experienced a sudden burst of optimism.